Pillion

• Harry Melling - 1:24:49 / 80.14%

• Alexander Skarsgård - 53:23 / 50.44%

• Douglas Hodge - 16:01 / 15.13%

• Lesley Sharpe - 10:47 / 10.19%

When a performance is not the longest in its film yet takes up over half of the running time, one at least has to consider classifying it as leading. More often than not, such turns can justifiably get the bump, but that is not the case with Alexander Skarsgård in Pillion.

While love stories (however traditional) typically involve two lead characters, Pillion almost unwaveringly steers its audience toward a singular point of view. In fact, Ray’s starkly enigmatic nature only allows the average viewer to evaluate him from a distance while practically being forced to relate to Colin alone. Though Ray’s large presence may give pause, it is fairly easy to categorize him as supporting given that he can in no way be considered even a secondary protagonist.

The high praise Harry Lighton has received for crafting this story is well deserved, especially when it comes to Ray, who is the key to its brilliance. Colin is afforded a commanding screen time advantage and a generally satisfying arc, but Ray emerges as the more interesting character by virtue of his endless dissectability. After it becomes apparent, his deep psychological damage sparks compelling analysis, but that still does not make him a lead.

Ray pulling lead focus away from Colin would not have served the story well, which is why Lighton essentially keeps him static on the surface. He is kept at arm’s length in every sense precisely to support the crucial goal of nailing Colin’s arc. The story that is told only works with one lead, and it works well because the actors and Lighton never lose sight of that.